Leyton Orient consider Olympic Hockey Stadium move
Wed 26th Jan 2011 | Football Stadiums & Facilities
Leyton Orient Football Club would consider a move to the Olympic Hockey Stadium should it be available the club’s chairman has claimed.
Orient, who are geographically the closest Football League club to the Olympic Stadium site which Tottenham and West Ham who are bidding for the right to use the stadium, claim their existence is under threat should one of these clubs move in.
Chairman Barry Hearn ruled out any possibility of Orient ground sharing at the Olympic Stadium, telling the BBC: "Our average gate is 4,500 so it would look ridiculous."
Hearn did reveal, however, that he might be interested in moving the npower League One club into the 16,000-seater Olympic hockey stadium following the 2012 Games.
He added: "I don't know if it's available. At the moment the hockey stadium's designated as a temporary facility.
"It's a possibility if everyone pulls together. Let's talk about it."
However, Hearn is considering legal action against the Premier League clubs plans to move saying: "We're the forgotten tribe of east London and we're not going to lie down as we're steamrollered by one of the Premier League giants.
"I'm going to look at the whole legal process of judicial review because I think putting us out of business or endangering our business falls into that remit.
"I'll look at legalities within the rules of the Premier League and Football League which clearly state no club will be allowed to move closer to another club which is prejudicial to another club's survival - this is definitely that.
"What happens to us? You've got a wonderful three week spectacular called the Olympics. We love it but we've been here than 135 years and that's a lot longer than three weeks."
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